Nullabor Adventures

Dazza my brother does one trip every week pulls out of Melbourne with a double on late on a Tuesday hooks up a third trailer in SA over to Perth back to SA drops the 3rd trailer and back into Melbourne on the following Monday 5-1/2 days.

He says he normally sees 3-4 caravans ass up on every trip.

Looks like a great trip it one I haven't done yet but hope to one day. Thanks for sharing the pics.

Trevor

Yes Clarkie...........you could spend days trying to find out the why's and wherefores of a lot of the sights. Here is a photo I took just after I saw the crane jib. I took it just along the fence from where I photogarphed the jib.(same property)

I first saw the vertical pipe........it was sticking about 1 mtr out of the ground with an open top like a vent pipe..when i walked up I spotted the wombat hole and then I saw the other poly pipe. It couldnt be a communication conduit as it was running north/south at right angles to the fence vertually upto where all the equipment is parked up and down towards the bitumin.

I would love to know what this pipe was for and what the other pipe was venting

......

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A shot from Ray Gillelands collection ..... mid 1950s

HI Roderick

Yes the Old Eyre Hwy is still accesable. Most good maps should show the old road as a Track north of the new bitumin road. The old road is very distinct on Google maps and in fact if you enter "Old Eyre Hwy" google will take you straight to it.............no street view though.
(You could 'drive' the bitumin Eyre Hwy from the comfort of Lap Top if you had a few loose hours)

The best way to tackle it would be from the west at the WA/SA border. This will take you past Koonalda Homestead and bring you onto the bitumin at Nullabor Roadhouse. Then continue on the gravel past the old Ivy Tanks and get back onto the bitumin at Yalata. Starting at Yalata is much more difficult as there are a lot of tracks in this area and therefore harder to find the correct track.

An idea.........if heading West do the Nullabor Roadhouse/Koonalda/WA Border section on the way over and then the Roadhouse/Ivy Tanks/Yalata section on the way back East

Dazza

You are totally irresponsible encouraging people to drive across the Nullarbor. Read this and you will never go west of Adelaide or East of Kalgoorlie again.

Knowles family

...if it had've been me and ol' mate......we would've shot it!

Hi Lang, this "family",

Crikey Lang. I knew SA was a dangerous place.

Adelaide (WMC) World Murder Capital
Abductions
Bodies in barrells in bank vaults
Kangaroos
Wombats
Horses
Camels
Goats
Dingoes
Willy-willys
Nymphs, and now I've got to worry about UFO's and Time storms.
Luckily Wolfe Creek is in WA or I would never cross the border again.

Daz (apoligies to the residents as I actually like the place)

What great read this thread has been so far I crossed only onced in 1989 after traveling down the Canning Stock Route from Halls Creek to Wiluna and at that time the CSR was fairly remote.

The road across was sealed all the way but I went on the old road some the way I try and dig out some pics .

I did do some other adventures 1970's

mm[timestamp=1418801722]The return trip from Perth

I picked up Jane from Perth Airport and then overnighted in Margaret River and then down to Albany for the re-enanactment of the First Diggers off to WW1.....we stayed with friends and had a great time. The whole of Albany seemed to get behind the event and the facilities were first rate..........Albany and the nation will benefit for years to come.

We then took a short drive to Esperence and arrived early enough to have a good look around. While there I enquired about a short cut from Esperence to Balladonia and decided to have a go.

members.westnet.com.au/condingupwa/balladonia.html

We left Esperance at about 7.30am and headed east and then onto the Parmango Rd.........very good gravel but dusty and being harvest time came across several trucks carting to Bins. The road then starts to detoriate a bit at the halfway mark to Balladonia but even thou they say 4wd only I rekon Fords or Holdens would get thru if it wasnt wet...........dont try it thou as I'm only using this to illistrate the road/track (caravans a no-no).........there would be a lot of boggy patches after rain. As I said the first bit is a lot better than the second and I was told in Esperence that the Esperence shire look after there half but the (I think) Dundas Shire dosent do too much as they want the traffic to go via Norseman.

We got into Balladonia at 12.00 noon just in time to listen to the Melbourne Cup and realise as I do every year that I'm a mug punter. Had put some bets on in Esperence the night before.

We did take a break at a Homestead that had been refurbished. See following photos and refer to the link.





Read and take note






There are 3 bedrooms made up like this. There are some emergency rations , a 1000 gal rain water tank and a visitors book.

We didnt come across any one from Esperence to Balladonia and according to the visitors book 2 vehicles traveling together the day before and then no one for about a week.........best to travel with another vehicle and be prepared...........we took a bit of a risk





This as narrow and as rough as it gets...NOT FORGETTING THE POTENTIAL BOGGY SPOTS AFTER RAIN...........the boggy sections would be pretty rough after they dried out especially if someone tried to get thru and caused rutts



Gate not far from Balladonia



Jane leaving a donation. Note the sign..........this is the outdoors



Got to Eucla that night. Then onto Ceduna and I had to do a detour again to Ivy Tanks to show Jane.
Ceduna is a nice spot and the accomodation at the Foreshore Hotel or Caravan park is excellent. Had a dozen Ceduna Oysters and a big steak.
Then to Port Lincoln (oysters) via Coffin Bay (oysters). Had 5 Doz in 24hrs..........yummy
Then next day to Adelaide for a family night with my sister and brother in law and then back to Kyneton .

I left home on 18th Oct and we got back on the evening of the 8th Nov. 8500klms in total.
The 9th was my mother in law's 102nd birthday and to the Casino for a High Tea party......this women is incredable .......she lives with us, does some weeding in the gardens, helps with the dishes and does all the ironing and does day trips with her friends. Although she doesnt drive anymore she bought her last car at 95 and the salesman talked her into the Extended Warranty.